STYLE & SUBJECT MATTER
WINNERS
PUBLICATION
COPYRIGHTS
MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
DEADLINE
NO ENTRY FEE
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS
SUBMISSION ADDRESS
NO PRIZE AWARDED POLICY
WINNERS' NOTIFICATION & LIST
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Each year, RockWay Press, LLC, holds its Annual International Creative Writing Contest, in all genres, for authors without agent representation, for previously self-published authors, or for authors who are not attempting to "pitch" their original books to RockWay through a query.
RockWay's contest is NOT for authors whose books have previously been published by other publishers and who are attempting to get their books published as e-books by RWP, nor is it for books which have gone out-of-print: Please query us concerning those types of books.
No previous publication history is necessary to enter any of the contests, and you may have published books or chapbooks before. Previous publication of any parts of your manuscripts in national periodicals or literary journals is helpful but is not a prerequisite.
Unpublished, up-represented (by agents/IP attorneys), or self-published writers are encouraged to enter the contests. Self-published authors may send copies of their finished book in lieu of an manuscript, but bear in mind that no entries will be returned, not even those sent in book format. BE SURE TO KEEP A COPY OF ALL ENTRIES TO THE CONTEST since ALL entries to the contest are destroyed afterward to protect the entrants from plagiarism.
You need not include query letters with your entries, but you must address it to the appropriate reader/editor by including the genre in the subject line of your email, e.g., Poetry, Novel, Short Stories, Non-Fiction, Memoir, etc. You may further narrow the category/genre if you wish, e.g., YA Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Historical Fiction, etc.
Your name, address, phone number, and current email must be included in the email to which the manuscript is attached. (In the case of self-published books, please put this information, along with the title of your manuscript, on a separate typed page inserted into the book.)
You need not include a query letter or pitch for the contest entry. In any event, no query letters, lists of publications, or BIOs are read until after the manuscript has been accepted, so previous publications & BIOs do not affect our determination of winning manuscripts.
ENTRY DATES: Manuscripts for the Annual Writing Contests are accepted from 1 September through midnight 31 December. Entries received beyond these parameters will be deleted unread.
GENRES: RockWay considers all genres of writing for the contests Except for Scholarly books written solely for other scholars, Children's Illustrated Picture Books, and, at this time, Graphic Novels. Simply note in the subject line which genre you are submitting your manuscript to, e.g., poetry, short stories, novella, memoir, novel, creative non-fiction, non-fiction, you are entering.
STYLE & SUBJECT MATTER: Any style & subject matter (except pornography) is acceptable, but we're seeking writing that is intriguing & memorable, with exciting & unique ways of seeing the world, by serious writers who have mastered their craft.
Comedy, humor, satire, and parody (some of the most difficult writing to do consistently well) is considered work by "serious" writers. "Serious writers" are those are dedicated to their craft and to constantly improving it, writers who are disciplined and can meet manuscript deadlines, writers who are willing to make the complex and demanding transition from "writer" to "author" (there's even more work to do after a book is accepted for publication), writers who are serious about being professionals, writers whom we'll be proud to have representing RockWay Press, LLC. So, please, if you're a serious writer and you're funny, send us a manuscript. We love to laugh, too.
WINNERS: RockWay Press, LLC expects that each category in the contest will have several Prizes since we do not expect different genres to "compete" with each other. In the Novel, Novella, or Short Story contests, for example, there is simply no way to determine that a prize-winning Romance is better than, say, a prize-winning Western, Mystery, Noir, Jewish fiction, Christian fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, or Fantasy.
Traditionally end-rhymed & metered poetry will not compete with free-verse; Christian works will not be compared to Buddhist works will not be compared to Jewish works; satire will not be ranked against philosophical works; experimental literature will not be judged with traditional literature.
Therefore, there would be Prizes awarded for each of those categories (and for any other which are not necessarily listed here). The same holds true for other categories as well.
In Creative Non-Fiction, for instance, a True-Crime entry will not be judged or evaluated against a Humorous entry, only against other True-Crime entries. That means there will, no doubt, be True-Crime Prizes, Humor Prizes, Creative Non-Fiction First Prizes (fitting into no particular classification). Just as Memoir entries, which are, in fact, creative non-fiction, are only evaluated against other memoirs, so it is with each type of writing within each individual category.
In short, RockWay Press usually awards multiple prizes each larger, more general categories "Poetry," "Short Stories," "Creative Non-Fiction," "Novels," etc.
All finalists in each sub-category will also be considered for publication by RockWay Press, LLC.
PUBLICATION: The books of winning authors will be published as e-books by RockWay Press, LLC. By entering this contest, you are giving RockWay Press, LLC, permission to publish your book, should it be chosen as one of the winners, according to the terms of RWP's contract. All authors at RockWay Press receive the same contract. Please review the contract before entering the contest.
The winning manuscripts will be edited, copy-edited, & production-designed by our experienced, award-winning staff, then distributed internationally as e-books for e-readers including but not limited to Amazon's Kindle & KindleFire; Barnes & Noble's Nook, NOOKcolor, & NookTablet; Apple's iPad & iPhone, and any apps available for SmartPhones, PCs, & Macs. (Trade-paper books are available nationally & internationally online through Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble.com, etc.)
E-book publication will occur as soon as feasibly possible after acceptance by RockWay Press.
Please be aware that if you have previously self-published your book & it is chosen as one of the winners for RWP's contest for publication as an e-book, the author is responsible for the costs of having the book scanned into the appropriate format necessary for e-book preparation/formatting & publication.
COPYRIGHTS: All RockWay books are assigned International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs), indicating that they are published by RockWay Press. The e-book copyright & e-ISBN will be registered in the author's name; THE COPYRIGHT, i.e., THE OWNERSHIP OF THE WORK ITSELF, REMAINS WITH THE AUTHOR: if you are one of the winners, you are only granting RWP the right to publish your work as an e-book; you are not transferring ownership of the work to us. Furthermore, paper book rights and all other subsidiary rights (i.e., book club, foreign rights translation, film, stage, etc.) remain with the author.
MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION: Poetry manuscripts may be single-spaced, one poem to a page (please use "Insert>Page Break" at the end of each poem rather than inserting paragraphs or hitting Return/Enter, as doing the latter may not put poems onto separate pages). All other manuscripts should be double-spaced, with 1" margins. Include the page numbers in either the header or footer, along with your name & the name of manuscript.
You may include author BIO & all previous publication credits with the manuscript, but please note that these should appear at the end of the manuscript since they are read after the manuscript is accepted for publication and do not influence our decision to accept a work for publication.
Please note that if you are using documentation preparation software older than 2007, our computers may not be able to read it. Please update your software, or convert it at a local printing shop like Kinko's, Staples, Office Depot, etc. before emailing it to us. We are not responsible for informing any entrant that his manuscript cannot be opened/read by our software, which is always kept current. If your attached manuscript cannot be opened/read, it will be discarded.
No contest entries will be returned. At the conclusion of the contest, all entries will be destroyed, including self-published hard-bound or trade paper books. Your work will not be seen by anyone except the readers/editors at RockWay, so your private contact information and the creative presentation of your ideas will not be distributed in any way, shape, manner, or form. RockWay protects all its contestants from plagiarism in this way.
DEADLINE: The annual deadline for the writing competitions is 12:00 midnight 31 December, and entries must be clearly marked by that date.
NO ENTRY FEE: There is no Entry/Reading fee for any manuscript submitted to the contest.
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: An author may submit as many entries as he wishes, in as many different genres as he wishes, but each manuscript must be sent individually, with its genre listed in the subject line of the email, for distribution to the judges/readers.
It is acceptable for entrants to enter their manuscripts to RockWay Press' contest(s) as well as to other contests, to agents, and to other publishers.
However, if your manuscript is chosen for publication in another contest, we require you to notify us immediately -- in writing -- so that we may withdraw your manuscript from our competition.
If your manuscript is chosen for representation by an agent or by another type of author's representative (such as an attorney), we require you to notify us immediately -- in writing. The manuscript will be withdrawn from the competition so that your agent may sell it.
If you already have agent representation, you may enter the contest so long as you realize that, should your manuscript be chosen as a winner to be published by RockWay Press, LLC, no contract negotiations will be made -- with or without an agent or other author's representative -- since it is one of RockWay's founding principles that all authors, no matter their reputations or publication histories, are treated equally. Therefore, you and your agent should read the contract before you enter your manuscript into the contest because if your manuscript is chosen as one of the winners, that is the contract you will receive, without any changes.
All authors at RockWay Press, LLC receive exactly the same publishing contract. If you wish to give your agent or representative his contracted portion of your royalties for any RockWay Press, LLC book, that is to be decided between you and your representative. There is a place in the contract for the author to provide RockWay with his representative's address and tax identification information. When that section of the contract is filled in, all monies due to the author will be sent to his duly appointed representative. For more information, you may review a copy of our e-book contract.
If your manuscript is chosen for publication by another publishing house, we require you to notify us immediately -- in writing -- so that we may withdraw your manuscript from our competition.
SUBMISSION ADDRESS: If you have not previously self-published your entry, submit your entry as an email attachment to the following email address (please note that since the winners are published as e-books & RWP will need the manuscripts in digital form, ALL unpublished entries must be submitted by email):
ContestGenreRockWay PressPOB 189Cerrillos NM 87010-0189USA(Please note that UPS, FedEx, or deliveries requiring signatures will not be accepted by the PostMaster & are returned w/o notifying RWP)See Note above concerning previously self-published books chosen as winners in RWP's contest.
WINNERS' NOTIFICATION & LIST: Winners are notified by phone (unless outside the United States, in which case they are notified by email), so please provide a valid phone number & email with each entry.
The names of the winners and their book titles will be posted on the website by 1 April of the following calendar year; thus, winners of the 2004 contests were posted on the site in late spring 2005; winners of the 2005 contests were posted in late spring 2006, etc. Please do not contact our offices for the list of winners. Check the website after 1 April of the following calendar year.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS about RockWay Press' International Writing Competition? Contact us by email or phone.
Web-Site © 2004-2012 by RockWay Press, LLC and Alexandria Constantinova Szeman
RockWay Press, LLC Logo © 2004 by Alexandria Constantinova Szeman.
Wetplate Collodian Photograph of Cathedral Rock © 2004 by Robert J. Szabo. Used with artist's gracious permission.
Web-site Updated: Monday 20 February 2012
